Key coaching trio sign contract extensions at Bath

Attack coach Lee Blackett, forwards coach Richard Blaze and defence coach JP Ferreira have signed long-term contract extensions at Bath.

The Gallagher Premiership title favourites have moved quickly to keep three of Johann van Graan’s key lieutenants, who have helped transform the club’s fortunes.

The West Country club reached the Premiership final last season for the first time since 2015 after finishing second in the table and currently sit six points clear at the top of the Gallagher Premiership after 10 rounds of this season’s competition.

Ferreira followed van Graan across from Munster in the summer of 2022, with Blackett and Blaze arriving at Farleigh House a year later.

Van Graan, who is contracted until the end of the 2029/30 season, is happy that he’ll be able to continue working with three such trusted and talented coaches for the foreseeable future.

He said: “One of the things we are striving for at the club and have become very good at is continuity across our heads of department, coaches and our players. I am, therefore, extremely glad that we have that in our coaching group. Each of them has added to the journey that we’ve been on. It’s only our second year together as a coaching group so it’s exciting and encouraging to see where we, as a group of coaches, can take this team.

“JP has become one of the very best defensive coaches in Europe and has done excellent work as our coaching co-ordinator. Lee has been fantastic since he’s come into the club and what he has done with the attack and backs has been brilliant. Blazey has brought real consistency to our forward pack and has given clear direction as to where we are going.

“Most importantly all three are very good men who always put the team first, are making players better and I trust them because they care for this team so much.”

Whilst Bath’s forward power is a credit to former Leicester and Wasps man Blaze and the wealth of talent at his disposal and Ferreira has made them hard to break down, Blackett has got Bath’s attack firing.

In the season before he joined the blue, black and whites, Bath averaged 26 points and 3.6 tries per Premiership game, whereas, over the last two seasons under Blackett, those figures have gone up to 33 points and 4.6 tries.

Also, Bath have fashioned more chances in the opposition 22 than any other team this season, and have become much more clinical in making the most of those visits.

His work has not gone unnoticed. In November, Blackett was part of the England A coaching team for the one-off match against Australia A at the Twickenham Stoop.

“We have a group here that really trust each other. and that is so important, especially in the coaching team,” Blackett said in a statement.

“There is a real feeling that we are all in this together and we all want to win together as a group.

“I’m so pleased to renew with the club.”

Blaze, meanwhile, is also delighted to extend his stay at the club. He said: “I’m very privileged to do this role at a club with such a rich history and a loyal fanbase.

“There are exciting times ahead on this journey, and I am proud to be working alongside some great staff and a hungry, driven playing group who want to get better every single day.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to extend my time here at Bath Rugby, and I am excited to see where this group can go together.”

Ferreira added: “I’m really happy to be signing on, and I’m so excited to be carrying on with the journey. To have the opportunity to build more memories with the players and staff here at the club is so exciting. We have an amazing group of young men that I’m privileged to coach, and I’m really happy to be staying on.”